Effects of 12 weeks of functional training vs. Muay Thai on cardiac autonomic modulation and hemodynamic parameters in older adults: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The elevated blood pressure (BP) and lower cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM) are associated with higher morbidity mortality risk among older adults. Although exercise is an important intervention for cardiovascular promotion, it is unclear whether combat sports training could benefit cardiovascular outcomes as much as autonomic in this population. This study compared the effects of 12 weeks of Muay Thai (MT) training against functional training (FT) on CAM and hemodynamic parameters in older adults. METHODS: The sample consisted of 50 older adults (41 women; 66.0 ± 5.3 years old), who were equaly randomized into FT (n = 25) and MT (n = 25) intervention groups. CAM was measured by 30-min rest heart rate variability. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and resting heart rate (RHR) were measured using an automatic oscillometric device. Pulse pressure (PP) and the double product (DP) were also calculated. The interventions were carried out three times a week, with 60-min length per session, during 12 consecutive weeks. The intensity of the interventions was measured using the subjective perception of exertion scale and by accelerometer. Two-factor repeated measures analysis of covariance was used for groups comparison, considering intervention group and body mass as factors. The 95% confidence interval of the difference (95%CIdif) was also calculated and the effect size was measured using partial eta squared (η2p). RESULTS: CAM indices did not show significant changes across moments and intervention groups. In hemodynamic parameters, only in DBP was there an effect of the moment (F1,39 = 8.206; P = 0.007; η2p = 0.174, large) and interaction effect between group*moment (F1,39 = 7.950; P = 0.008; η2p = 0.169, large). Specifically, the MT group at the post-training moment showed lower DBP (P = 0.010; 95%CIdif = -13.3; -1.89) in relation to the FT group. Furthermore, the MT group showed a decrease in DBP during training (P = 0.002; 95%CIdif = -10.3; -2.6). Also, an increase in training intensity was also found over the 12 weeks in FT, with no difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: After 12 weeks of MT practice there was a reduction in DBP compared to FT in older adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03919968 Registration date: 01/02/2019.

Nutritional perspectives in female soccer: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the review was to evaluate the literature exploring nutritional habits and practices in female soccer players. METHODS: The PRISMA-ScR Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews were followed. Searches of Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases were conducted for studies exploring the nutritional habits and practices of female soccer players. RESULTS: A total of 72 studies were included in the scoping review. Studies on female soccer players mainly focused on daily energy expenditure, daily energy and macronutrient intake and hydration status. A negative energy balance was consistent across studies, and the ingestion of CHO appears below the current recommendations. Female soccer players are predominately in negative energy balance, which may indicate that they are at risk of low energy availability. A high use of nutritional supplements is apparent in female soccer, whilst a large proportion of players commence training dehydrated. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings have implications for practitioners relating to the planning, management, monitoring, and implementation of nutritional intake and training and competition schedules.

Agreement between fat-free mass from bioelectrical impedance analysis and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and their use in estimating resting metabolic rate in resistance-trained men.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the agreement between fat-free mass (FFM) estimates from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and their use in estimating resting metabolic rate (RMR) in men undergoing resistance training. METHODS: Thirty healthy resistance-trained men (22.7 ± 4.4 years, 70.0 ± 8.7 kg, 174.6 ± 6.7 cm, and 22.9 ± 2.3 kg/m2) were evaluated. The equation developed by Tinsley et al. (RMR = 25.9 × fat-free mass [FFM] + 284) was adopted to calculate the RMR. DXA was used as the reference method for FFM. RESULTS: Furthermore, FFM was also estimated by BIA using a spectral device. No significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed between DXA (1884.2 ± 145.5 kcal) and BIA (1849.4 ± 167.7 kcal) to estimate RMR. A positive and significant correlation (r = 0.89, p < 0.05) was observed between DXA and BIA estimates of RMR. The mean difference between methods indicated that BIA presented a bias of -34.8 kcal. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that using FFM derived from DXA or BIA results in similar RMR estimates in resistance-trained men.

Determining Changes in Muscle Size and Architecture After Exercise Training: One Site Does Not Fit all.

ABSTRACT: Nunes, JP, Blazevich, AJ, Schoenfeld, BJ, Kassiano, W, Costa, BDV, Ribeiro, AS, Nakamura, M, Nosaka, K, and Cyrino, ES. Determining changes in muscle size and architecture after exercise training: One site does not fit all. J Strength Cond Res 38(4): 787-790, 2024-Different methods can be used to assess muscle hypertrophy, but the effects of training on regional changes in muscle size can be detected only using direct muscle measurements such as muscle thickness, cross-sectional area, or volume. Importantly, muscle size increases vary across regions within and between muscles after resistance training programs (i.e., heterogeneous, or nonuniform, muscle hypertrophy). Muscle architectural changes, including fascicle length and pennation angle, after resistance and stretch training programs are also region-specific. In this paper, we show that the literature indicates that a single-site measure of muscle shape does not properly capture the effects achieved after exercise training interventions and that conclusions concerning the magnitude of muscle adaptations can vary substantially depending on the muscle site to be examined. Thus, we propose that measurements of muscle size and architecture should be completed at multiple sites across regions between the agonist muscles within a muscle group and along the length of the muscles to provide an adequate picture of training effects.

The Quantification of Physical Performance and Internal Training Load in Youth Male Soccer Players During Preseason.

PURPOSE: The monitoring of training loads and quantification of physical performance are common practices in youth soccer academies to support coaches in prescribing and programming training for individuals. The interaction between training load and physical performance is unknown during a preseason period in youth soccer players. The current study assessed changes in training load and physical assessments across a 4-week preseason period. The relationship between physical performance and match playing time in youth male soccer players was also investigated. METHODS: The training loads of 25 professional youth academy male soccer players were monitored throughout a 4-week preseason period. Assessments of power, agility, speed, and aerobic capacity were undertaken in the first training session. Session ratings of perceived exertion (sRPE) and well-being questionnaires were collected during all training sessions and preseason matches. Playing time during subsequent competitive matches was recorded. RESULTS: T test and 30-m-sprint assessments, conducted on the first day of preseason, were predictors of sRPE throughout preseason (t test χ2/df = 2.895, poor adjustment; 30-m sprint χ2/df = 1.608, good adjustment). YoYo Test performance was related with changes in perceived fatigue (χ2/df = 0.534, very good adjustment). Faster players reported higher values of sRPE, and players with higher aerobic capacity reported higher levels of fatigue across preseason. Well-being, perceived fatigue and soreness, and sRPE decreased across preseason. Greater match durations were related to higher levels of fatigue during preseason (P < .05). CONCLUSION: The current study highlights the relationship between training load, physical assessments, and playing time. Coaches and practitioners can use physical test data at the start of preseason as an indication of players that report higher sRPE, perceived fatigue, and reduced well-being across preseason, supporting decisions around individualized training prescriptions.

Effects of training volume on lower-body muscle strength in untrained young men: a contralateral control study

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of training volume (1 vs. 3 sets) on lower-body muscle strength in untrained young men. Methodsː Eighteen untrained young men were recruited and their legs were trained with 1 or 3 sets (in a contralateral design) for 6 weeks, using a knee extension machine. Isokinetic peak torque and one repetition maximum (1RM) were assessed at pre- and post-training. Resultsː There was a similar improvement in the 1RM strength (1SET: +14.8% vs. 3SET: 16.3%, P > 0.05) and peak torque (1SET: +8.1% vs. 3SET: 9.3%, P > 0.05) for both conditions from pre- to post-training. The effect size (ES) for the change in 1RM was moderate for both conditions (1SET: 1.39 vs. 3SET: 1.41), and peak torque was trivial and small for 1SET (0.47) and 3SET (0.55), respectively. Additionally, there were no significant (P > 0.05) differences in the dietary intakes from pre- to post-training. Conclusionsː Our results indicate that 1 set is as effective as 3 sets for increasing lower-body muscle strength after a short-term RT period (6 weeks) in untrained young men.(AU)

Twenty minutes of post-exercise hypotension are enough to predict chronic blood pressure reduction induced by resistance training in older women

AIM: This study investigated the correlation between post-exercise hypotension (PEH) and chronic blood pressure (BP) reduction in older women after a resistance training (RT) program. METHODS: Twenty-five older women (≥60 years) performed a RT program for 8 weeks, 3x/week consisting of 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions maximum in 8 exercises. Acute and chronic BP measurements were performed using automatic equipment, in which acute BP was measured before and after 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min following the sixth exercise session, while chronic BP was measured pre and post-training. RESULTS: Significant decrease for systolic blood pressure (SBP) was observed after the intervention period, however, the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) did not change. To acute changes in BP, SBP decreased at all times after a single RT session, while DBP increased after 40 min. The reduction for SBP after a single RT session at baseline showed positive and significant correlations with the reductions in basal SBP observed after the 8 weeks of RT, the strongest correlations were observed at 20 min. A linear relationship between the magnitude of change in chronic SBP and the 20 min for acute SBP, and 30 min for acute DBP of post-exercise was observed. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that acute BP lowering after RT session is a reliable predictor of chronic BP response to exercise training, and 20 min of resting, after RT training, is enough to indicate chronic response of BP as this measure was highly associated with chronic BP lowering in older women.(AU)

Validade dos métodos para avaliação da gordura corporal em crianças e adolescentes por meio de modelos multicompartimentais: uma revisão sistemática / Validity of the methods to assess body fat in children and adolescents using multi-compartment models as the reference method: a systematic review

OBJETIVO: Analisar a validade de métodos para avaliação de gordura corporal em crianças e adolescentes. MÉTODOS: A busca foi realizada por dois pesquisadores independentes, nas bases eletrônicas MEDLINE, BioMed Central, SciELO e LILACS. Como critérios de inclusão, os artigos deveriam ser escritos nas línguas inglesa ou portuguesa, ter utilizado como medida critério modelos multicompartimentais, com medida de gordura corporal em crianças e adolescentes não atletas. RESULTADOS: A busca preliminar resultou em 832 artigos, e após todas as etapas de seleção 12 compuseram esta revisão. Os trabalhos selecionados foram publicados entre 1997 e 2010, com amostras formadas por crianças e adolescentes com níveis de gordura corporal relativa de 20,7-41,4%. Os métodos utilizados foram: absortometria radiológica de dupla energia (58,3%), diluição de isótopos (41,6%), espessura de dobras cutânea (33,3%), pesagem hidrostática (25%), impedância bioelétrica (25%), pletismografia por deslocamento de ar (16,6%) e condutividade elétrica corporal total (8,3%). CONCLUSÃO: A partir da análise dos estudos, concluímos que os métodos diluição de isótopos e pletismografia por deslocamento de ar foram os que se apresentaram mais confiáveis, apesar do número reduzido de investigações. Já para a utilização clínica e em estudos populacionais, a equação de Slaughter et al., que utiliza a espessura das dobras cutâneas tricipital e subescapular, foi a que apresentou melhores resultados para avaliação da gordura corporal nessa população.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the validity of methods to assess body fat in children and adolescents using a systematic review. METHODS: The search was conducted by two independent researchers using the MEDLINE, BioMed Central, SciELO and LILACS electronic databases. For inclusion, the articles should be written in English or Portuguese, andmust have usedmulti-compartment models as the criterion measure of the model, with body fat measurement of whole body in non-athlete children and adolescents. RESULTS: A preliminary search resulted in 832 studies. After all selection steps were performed, 12 articles were included. The selected studies were published between 1997 and 2010, whose samples consisted of children and adolescents with levels of relative body fat ranging from 20.7% to 41.4%. The methods used were: dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (58.3%), isotope dilution (41.6%), skinfold thickness (33.3%), hydrostatic weighing (25%), bioelectrical impedance analysis (25%), air displacement plethysmography (16.6%), and total body electrical conductivity (8.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the analysis of the studies, isotope dilution and air displacement plethysmography methodswere the most reliable, despite the limited number of studies. As for clinical use or for population-based studies, the equation of Slaughter et al. (1998), wich uses the triceps and subscapular skinfolds thickness, showed the best results for assessment of body fat in this population.